Getting the Story
by StarryDreamer01
Summary: Lois is faced with the reality of the Superman fandom. My response to a fanfic challenge. Details in A/N.


**A/N: This was a response to a "One Word" challenge at DI. The word I was assigned was "fanfiction". Go figure, right? LOL It's marked "M" because I'm being safe, rather than sorry. It's definitely not NC-17 type of "M" content. **

**Enjoy! :)**

**Please leave reviews! **

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Lois typed furiously, occasionally looking up at the screen from her notes. There'd recently been a series of fires throughout Metropolis and Lois had a suspicion that the fire chief was behind them. It was an ironic twist to be sure, but after paying off a few low level drones at the mayor's office, she'd been told that several insurance claims on city properties were being filed that had been linked to the fire chief. The connection was a stretch, but when Lois had a suspicion that nagged at her, it typically ended up being correct.

A collective bout of laughter burst out from the corner of the bullpen, breaking Lois' concentration. Annoyed, she turned in her chair to glare at the culprits.

"Do you mind?" She asked, glaring at a group of interns gathered around a computer screen a few desks over.

"Not at all," giggled one in return. They each shared a secretive glance, pursing their lips knowingly.

Lois rolled her eyes, shook her head and returned to her computer. As she glanced down at her notes again, she overheard one of them whisper, "I wonder if she's seen him without the red cape."

Fingers paused above her keyboard, Lois' cheeks burned red.

"I bet Superman's body is tight," declared another. "That suit leaves little to the imagination. Lois is one lucky girl."

With her eyes flashing, Lois turned in her chair. "Excuse me?"

The group erupted in to a fit of laughter.

"What?"

"Nothing," one replied, shaking her head. "It's just that's exactly what you say in the story."

"Story?" She asked, narrowing her eyes. "What story?"

"This one," a darker haired intern pointed toward her computer screen. "The Flame and the Flower."

Lois leapt to her feet and crossed the floor toward the intern's desk. A few of the group scattered, busying themselves at the copier, keeping within earshot. Lois leaned down and read from the screen.

_"Lois caresses his arm. Superman's muscles bulge from beneath his blue suit. His "S" glimmers in the sunlight that streams through her kitchen window._

_"Take me now, Superman," she pants, pulling at the buttons of her blouse. "Clark will be home any minute."_

Eyes wide, Lois gasped. "Wha—what is this?" She pointed toward the screen, her face red from a mixture of embarrassment and fury.

"It's fanfiction."

"What the hell is fanfiction?" Lois snapped.

"They're stories," one intern shrugged. "People write them about TV shows, celebrities, movies."

"But—but why am _I_ in _that_ story?" Lois stuttered, affronted. "I'm not a celebrity. Nei—neither is Clark."

The girls exchanged a look between them. "Actually you are."

"What you mean?"

"Well everyone sees you as Superman's girl."

"But I'm _married_ to Clark," Lois countered, her mind a rush of confusion as she processed what the interns were saying.

The intern shook her head. "It doesn't matter. Superman has fans and with the fans come the fanfiction. People want you guys to get together; they don't care if you're married. It just adds fuel to their stories."

"Stories? You mean there's more than just that one?"

"There are hundreds," shrugged the second intern.

"Hun-hundreds?" She stuttered in disbelief.

The girls nodded in reply.

"About me and Superman?" They nodded again. Lois backed away from the desk; turning on her heels she returned to her own. "E-mail me that link," she barked. "Right now."

…

_She swears to herself that tonight she'll break things off with Clark. She can't keep leading him on this way, especially since her heart belongs to Superman. No one can compete. There is certainly no comparing the mild-mannered newsboy to the statuesque man of steel. How she's found herself married to a farm boy is beyond explanation. But somehow she will need to make Clark understand. Her heart belongs to another._

_But Clark didn't come home that night. He's probably stuck behind his desk at the Planet, filing away some story about a cat caught in a tree. It will be another lonely night. Another night where she'll long to spend it freely in the arms of Superman._

_A sharp tap sounds from her balcony window. Lois turns and looks to find the very man she's been thinking about, resplendent in his blue and red suit._

"So I'm not convinced that it's the fire chief who's setting the arsons. I did a little digging and it turns out that he's just a middleman. He rents out the properties to a bunch of college aged kids."

_Within seconds his arms encircle her. She welcomes the feel of his chest against her cheek._

_"I missed you today," he whispers into her ear. "Is he here?"_

_"No." She can say no more. His lips crash on to hers, his tongue dares her into a duel. Before she can over think the moment, she pulls at his cape pushing his suit from his shoulders._

_"Lois," he groans, desperate._

_"Oh, Superman," she returns, her words thick with desire. He buries his head into her neck, his hand reaches for the tie at the waist of her housecoat._

"I'm going to do a little… uh, walk by later tonight. See if I can't spot anything. Don't forget I've been, um… assigned to that convention at the Metropolis Grand. Perry still wants you to go and cover it right? Lois? Lois are you listening to me?"

"Huh?" She blinked looking up from her computer screen, her face flushed. "Oh, right. Um, yeah, the convention. Right," she mumbled, shuffling through the stacks of papers that littered her desk. "I have my ticket here somewhere…"

"Lois?" Clark said, shaking his head. "_I_ have your ticket, remember?"

"Oh, right," she said, absently. Grabbing a rubber band from her desk drawer, she haphazardly threw her hair in to a quick ponytail. Was it her imagination or did the bullpen suddenly get several degrees hotter of all sudden?

"Are you okay?"

"Yeah, fine. I was just… um…er, proofreading this article," she lied, widening her eyes. She willed the redness that coloured her cheeks away. "Yeah, proofreading it. You know me, always looking for spelling errors."

Clark narrowed his eyes and moved toward her. "Lois, you asked me how to spell 'pressure' the other day. You're not exactly a spelling bee champion."

"Right." She glanced around the room, hoping that the snooping interns hadn't been watching her exchange with Clark.

"What's going on, Lois? What're you reading?"

"It's no-nothing," she stuttered. Desperate to close the browser screen, she moved her hands toward the keyboard. Clark, as always, was quick to stop her.

He leaned over her shoulder, pushed his glasses up his nose and began to read aloud. "Superman teases Lois at first, running light circles across her stomach. Slowly, his fingers inch toward her under—Lois!" He squeaked, straightening himself upright. "What is this? What're you reading?"

Grimacing, Lois shushed him. Her mind raced, she fought for an easier explanation, one that didn't involve her revealing that she'd been reading a sex story involving her and Superman.

"It's a story," she offered lamely.

"I can see that," Clark said with a chuckle. Lowering his voice to a whisper, he asked, "did you write it?"

"Oh god, no!" She shook her head violently. "Some intern showed it to me."

"Oh," Clark said disappointed. "So this isn't some fantasy of yours…"

"No!" She said louder than she'd meant. "I mean, not that I wouldn't mind… oh, god. Forget it. Can we talk about this at home?"

"What are they?" He asked, ignoring her request. "I mean, I get that that they're stories. But why are you and… _Superman_ in them?"

"Apparently, according to whatsherface over there— the blonde one…"

"Josie?" Offered Clark, throwing a weak smile toward the intern that had glanced up briefly from her desk.

"Yeah, her. Apparently there's this whole following of… fans for Superman…"

"And…" encouraged Clark, pushing her to continue.

"And they write stories about me and Superman…" Lois grimaced awkwardly. "Having sex," she finished quickly.

"What?"

"He rescues me sometimes too!" She defended.

Laughing, Clark asked, "Why? I mean, why are they writing stories about you?"

"Beats me," Lois said, shrugging her shoulders. "Well, I mean I get the Superman fan thing. Lord knows I could be club president." She chuckled. "But they've written all these stories. There's even one here where I'm bar wench in a saloon and Superman's the town sheriff."

"And where am… _I_ in all this?" He pushed at his glasses and crossed his arms.

Lois gave him a smirk. "You're the out of town criminal bent on getting even with Superman after he stopped your train robbery."

From across the room, Josie Hibbert, the newest intern to the Daily Planet, watched the exchange between Lois and Clark unfold. Purposefully, she pulled her cell phone out of her desk drawer and carefully typed in a text.

"All clear. Plan in motion."

…

"Hey! Make a hole, will ya?" Lois called out frustrated, as she pushed her way to the front of the throng of onlookers pressed against metal barricades.

"Lois Lane-Kent. Daily Planet," she called out to a security guard, motioning him over.

"Credentials?" He asked. Lois flashed her Daily Planet press pass and was directed past the barricades to a separate, roped off area.

"Welcome to the Metropolis Grand Convention Centre!" A voice declared from over the loud speaker. The crowd screamed in anticipation. "Today we are very fortunate to have with us one of Metropolis' most valuable citizens. He has protected us and has saved us from criminal masterminds time and time again." The crowd began to chant in response, their voices resulting in a thunderous vibration that echoed off of the floors.

"Superman! Superman! Superman!"

Lois grinned and shook her head, amazed by the hundreds upon hundreds of people who'd gathered for the convention. Put on by the Metropolis City Council, the event was intended as a way to make Superman more accessible to the population. Councilors had been clamoring on behalf of the citizens for Superman to take a day where he could meet his admirers. Somehow Clark had been cajoled into agreeing on the guarantee that all proceeds would be donated toward local charities; from there the Metropolis Superman Festival was born.

She knew it was likely that Clark was nervous. He hated crowds and disliked even more being showered with so much attention. He preferred the quiet life away from the fans who were constantly seeking his autograph and photo. It was a luxury that his super speed offered him the ability to make saves quickly and generally avoid the commotion that the Superman festival was clearly catering to.

"It is my honour and privilege to introduce Metropolis' own superhero: Superman!"

The screams were deafening, people waved flags adorned with the symbol of the House of El. Women held their arms out as Superman was ushered along the barricades toward the main stage. Clark smiled politely in response to the outcries of adoration and shook their hands where he could.

As he passed by the press box, Clark paused. "Miss Lane," he said, careful not to betray his secret to nearby onlookers. "Nice to see you here."

"Actually its Mrs. Lane-Kent now," Lois corrected, teasingly. "There was no way I would miss this." She reached out her hand and gave his arm a gentle, encouraging squeeze. "Good luck. You'll be great."

Clark nodded, a faintly nervous smile crossing his face. He turned back toward the stage, his cape briefly catching a slight draft as he leapt onto the raised platform. The cheers continued, welcoming each wave he offered the crowd.

"Mrs. Lane-Kent?"

Lois turned toward the voice. "Yes?" She said to a young convention volunteer, his name badge hanging from a lanyard around his neck.

"There's a phone call for you in our management office. Someone from the Daily Planet. They said it was important."

Frowning, Lois looked down at her phone. It was on and seemed to have all four bars of signal reception. "Weird," she muttered under her breath, slipping her phone back into her pocket. Shrugging her shoulders, she followed the volunteer. "Show me to the office, then."

"Hey Lois!" Greeted a vaguely recognizable blonde girl from within the press booth.

"Jenny, right?"

"It's Josie." A flash of annoyance crossed the young intern's face. "Are you here to interview Superman?"

"Maybe," replied Lois. "We'll see if he has time later on. He's very busy, you know?"

"Right, of course," she nodded, understanding. "Well, if you're looking for someone to help you out, just let me know."

"Sure, sure. No problem," Lois said dismissively. "Listen, I've got a call I need to take." She motioned toward the volunteer waiting for her by the doors. "It was nice running in to you."

The volunteer led her through the main doors and down a narrow hallway, past several unmarked doors.

"Is this office in the basement or something?" Lois joked.

The volunteer smiled briefly, but offered no response.

Eventually he swiped a key card into a security lock system and an oversized metal door clicked open.

"Here you go," he announced, holding the door open with one arm, allowing Lois to enter before him.

"Awesome." Lois glanced around the room in search of the phone. The room was modest in size with an empty desk at its center. A closed circuit camera hung from the ceiling in the corner of the room. There were no filing cabinets, no papers strewn about to indicate a working office. Lois narrowed her eyes, suddenly suspicious. Just as she turned to question to the young volunteer, the door swung shut.

"Hey!" She called out, rushing toward the door. She pulled down on the door handle violently. It remained locked, unwilling to budge. "Hey kid! Let me out of here!" She screamed out, banging on the door; it was to no avail. She took her phone from her pocket and held it up.

"Damnit. No reception."

Lois glared up at the camera, hoping that there was someone at the other end. "Who are you?" She called out. "I hope you realize that the second I yell out for Superman he'll be here to rescue me."

"We're counting on it, Lois," a female voice retorted from a small speaker mounted below the camera. "It was what we were hoping for."

The voice was familiar to Lois; she'd heard it only minutes earlier. "Josie?"

The voice chuckled in response. "I'm shocked you could remember my name. I'd have thought you were too narcissistic to have even recognized my voice."

"You listen to me, you half-wit intern. You must be the stupidest person on the face of this planet if you think Superman isn't going to come and—" A sharp hissing sound interrupted her. From a vent in the wall came a plum of smoke which quickly began envelop the room.

"The hell?"

As the smoke slowly began to rise, an acrid smell of chemical solvent bombarded her nostrils, choking her senses.

"What—what is going on?" She coughed. "Why? Why are you doing this?"

"You of all people should understand Lois," sneered Josie from the speaker. "I'm doing it for the story."

The smell was overwhelming; Lois could feel herself beginning to lose consciousness. _Where was Clark?_ She wondered. Usually he'd have come to her rescue by now. The crowds of fans in the convention center must have temporarily overwhelmed his super-senses.

"The story? What story?"

If Josie had answered Lois' question, she didn't hear it. Overcome by the smoke and the rancid smell, her chest burned. Her lungs begged for release. With every ounce of energy she had remaining in her body, Lois beat her fist against the metal door, calling out for Superman.

Her eyes heavy, she could feel her legs begin give out beneath her. No longer to able to call out, she weakly lifted her arm and gave one last punch against the door before blackness enveloped her.

…

The sharp beep of a heart monitor could be heard in the distance. As Lois opened her eyes, the image before her appeared blurry at first, white and pink with a tinge of brown. She recognized the sharp smell of disinfectant and starch. She was at Metropolis General. She blinked, willing the foggy feeling in her head to disappear.

"Clark?" She called out. She lifted her head, intending to sit up, but heaviness against her chest prevented her.

"Whoa! Lois, hang on there! Let me help you." Clark was quick to her side; he placed a pillow at her back and helped her upright. He brushed a strand of hair from her face and gave her a weak smile. "I'm glad you're finally awake. You had me scared there for a while, Lois."

She coughed in response, her voice unable to break through the rawness within her throat. She motioned for a glass of water. Clark handed her a cup and she gulped its contents down, desperate for the cool liquid.

"Easy there," he chuckled. "Your body's been through a lot."

"Josie!" Lois croaked, her voice finally restored.

"Yeah, I know. Superman found her." Methodically, Clark rose from his seat and crossed the room, closing the door to ensure their privacy.

Returning next to her, he ran his hand along her arm, grateful to note the healthy warmth of Lois' body. "She knocked you out pretty good with a fairly vicious cocktail of nitrogen and potassium chlorate."

"There was a volunteer. This kid… he was helping her."

Clark nodded. "The police caught him trying to dispose of the chemicals in the garbage dump in the back of the convention center."

"How'd you find me?"

He shook his head, disappointed in himself for not getting to her sooner. "The crowd was so loud. I couldn't focus properly. Eventually when things started to calm down, that's when I heard you."

"Oh, Clark! The one time they put on an event to appreciate you and I have to go and ruin it." Lois leaned back against the pillow. "I'm sorry," she offered.

"Lois, there's nothing to be sorry about. I'm just glad that I got to you in time."

"My memory's a little hazy, but Josie mentioned something about a story. Like, she wanted you to find me for a story. Do you know what that was about?"

Clark gave a slight laugh. "It seems you stumbled on to our little fire bug."

"What?"

"Josie was the one setting the fires across Metropolis. It seems as though she was doing it to get Superman's attention."

"Why?" Asked a bewildered Lois.

"For her stories," he replied simply.

Lois shook her head. "What stories?"

"Those fan stories you were reading. It seems as though she was getting a little too popular in her online world," explained Clark. "She needed more ideas. So she started to create them. In real life."

"Oh my god!"

"She was holding you hostage with the knowledge that Superman would come to your rescue. From there she would have her story."

"You have got to be kidding me," Lois brought her hand to her forehead. "This girl was willing to get me killed all because she wanted a _storyline_ for her fanfiction?"

Clark nodded. "That's about right."

"I am never reading another one of those things again." She promised, rolling her eyes. "No offence Clark, but you have the worst fans ever."

He laughed good naturedly. "Well, I don't about that. Most of them seemed pretty nice and receptive. City Council managed to raise over $2 million dollars for the charities. So at least they're generous to a fault. That's got to count for something. Besides, weren't you the one who said that you could be my fan club president?"

Lois narrowed her eyes. "If I wasn't tethered to that machine over there, I would punch you for that comment."

Clark smiled. "Well, I'm glad you're back Lois. It was getting quiet around here."

"Hey!" Before Lois could form a rebuttal a nurse opened the door. She glared at Clark, warning him silently that she would get hers eventually.

"Mrs. Lane-Kent! You're awake. That's wonderful!" The nurse declared cheerily. "Dr. Hamilton's going to want to run some tests shortly. Mr. Kent, you're welcome to stay if you'd like. He should be here soon."

Lois and Clark exchanged a look. Lois understood that in that moment he'd heard something in the distance; his head had tilted in its typical fashion denoting the use of his super-hearing.

"My husband's a little weak kneed," Lois explained with a wink directed at Clark. "He can't stand the sight of needles."

"Really?" The nurse said, surprised. "Such a big guy; afraid of something so harmless? Alright then."

As the nurse turned to gather some medical supplies from a closet in the hall, Clark pressed his lips to Lois' forehead. He lingered for a moment and daringly moved his mouth toward her ear. His breath hot, he whispered, "you may be done with those stories, but when you get home later there's something we should try."

"Clark!" Lois admonished, momentarily shocked by his candor. Before she could ask him for further details, he was gone in a brief gust of wind.

"Are you ready, Mrs. Lane-Kent?" The nurse asked, reappearing at the door. Noticing the grin extended across Lois' face, she remarked: "You certainly seem to be in good spirits."

Unable to form a coherent word in response, Lois simply nodded. Maybe she wasn't going to be done with those stories after all.

~Fin~


End file.
